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Reviewing assessment of student learning in interdisciplinary STEM education

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Paper Summary

Paperzilla title
STEM Assessments: Mostly Monodisciplinary, Despite Interdisciplinary Aims

Most assessments in interdisciplinary STEM education focus on monodisciplinary knowledge and transdisciplinary affective domains, despite program aims to improve students' interdisciplinary understanding. This misalignment highlights challenges in assessing interdisciplinary learning and the need for more practical, classroom-applicable tools and guidelines.

Explain Like I'm Five

Scientists found that even though schools want kids to learn how different science subjects fit together, the tests usually only ask about one subject at a time. This makes it hard to see if kids really understand how everything connects.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified.

Identified Limitations

Limited Scope
The study acknowledges several limitations. The focus on interdisciplinary STEM education excluded studies focusing solely on individual STEM disciplines. The relatively recent prominence of STEM education internationally limits the available literature. The exclusion of studies solely focused on assessment development, but lacking program descriptions, underestimates the work in the field.
Lack of Practical Tools
Many of the assessments reported in the reviewed studies are research-oriented and impractical for regular classroom use. Qualitative analyses like video analysis and open coding are resource-intensive, making them more suitable for research than classroom application.
Lack of Practical Recommendations
While the study provides a valuable overview of assessment practices in interdisciplinary STEM education, it does not offer concrete recommendations for developing and implementing practical assessment tools or guidelines for teachers.

Rating Explanation

This comprehensive review provides a valuable overview of assessment practices in interdisciplinary STEM education. However, it has limitations in scope and practicality. It also stops short of providing concrete, actionable recommendations for assessment development and implementation, limiting its direct impact on classroom practice.

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Topic Hierarchy

Domain: Social Sciences

File Information

Original Title: Reviewing assessment of student learning in interdisciplinary STEM education
Uploaded: July 14, 2025 at 06:54 AM
Privacy: Public